1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable label applying machine, and particularly to a label strip feed mechanism for such a machine. Such a machine feeds a strip of labels through its housing, prints on individual labels of a continuous label strip, separates individual labels from the elongated strip and sometimes applies the labels to items to be labeled. A label strip is comprised of a continuous strip of backing paper ordinarily having a layer of a parting agent, such as silicone, applied to a surface of the backing paper and of a row of same size labels adhered in end-to-end relationship to the surface of the backing paper. The undivided labels are printed, fed to an outlet and peeled one by one from the backing paper. The peeled labels are individually applied to successive articles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is desirable to apply a variety of information about a commodity, including the price, the name and address of a shop, the name, content and production date of the commodity, as well as other symbols upon a label to be applied to the surface of that commodity. In order to tabulate all of this information to enable easy observation, it is the current practice to enlarge the label without changing or reducing the size of the symbols being printed. It becomes necessary for the distance over which a label strip is advanced upon dispensing of a single label to be increased accordingly as the size of an individual label is enlarged.
Portable labeling machines of the above type include a feed wheel that is rotated by the gripping and releasing of a manual grip lever. The continuous label strip is engaged by the feed wheel, and most usually by the outer periphery of the wheel, and the strip is advanced by the rotation of the feed wheel.
The most suitable angular stroke for the gripping motion of the grip lever, from the standpoint of human engineering, has been found to be substantially 18.degree.. The angular stroke of the grip lever is usually preset at an angle of at most 18.degree.. This places a restriction upon the length of the portion of the continuous label strip that is to be fed by a single cycle of gripping and releasing of the grip lever. Obviously, as the angle of the gripping stroke of the grip lever is increased, the distance of the movement of said lever is accordingly enlarged. The angle of rotation of the feed wheel is correspondingly enlarged. But increasing the angle of the grip lever increases the difficulty of the gripping action of the hand lever. If the manual gripping action is made easier, the stroke of the grip lever is reduced and the length of the portion of the label strip that is fed during one grip lever stroke is accordingly reduced.